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Boston MFA treats coins as miniature works of artMuseum focuses on aesthetic quality of ancient coins and links to other art forms

By Helen Stoilas, 20 September 2012

Coins, it could be argued, are the smallest but most widespread form of art, found in almost everyone’s pocket. Later this month, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, will become the first major US museum to open a gallery dedicated to ancient coins, placing an emphasis on them as miniature works of art.

“The MFA isn’t merely giving coins the same level of attention as vases, sculpture,” says Richard Grossman, the consulting curator for numismatics at the MFA, who is working on the installation of around 500 coins in the new galleries, which are due to open on 25 September. “What the MFA’s gallery shows is how ancient coins can be works of art in their own right, and how coinage is interconnected with artworks in other media and through time. To that end, the new gallery does more than display a selection of beautiful coins; it points to meaningful visual relationships between coins and other objects — vases, sculpture, metalwork, gems, and even works on paper.”

The MFA has one of the largest collections of Greek and Roman coins in the world, with around 7,500 pieces, that as well as being beautiful objects of sculptural quality, also document the cultural and political history of those ancient empires. Highlights including a Dekadrachm (Demareteion) of Syracuse with quadriga, about 465 BC, a Tetradrachm of Amphipolis with head of Apollo, 390-70 BC, and a Denarius with head of M. Junius Brutus, 43-42 BC, issued by Brutus after the assassination of Julius Caesar. “The idea to put together a coin gallery grew out of discussions about how we could make these treasures most accessible to the visiting public. What the MFA’s gallery tries to show is how ancient coins are works of art in miniature and also documents of Classical history and culture,” Grossman says.

The gallery installation is planned as a permanent display, and there will be iPads and a computer kiosk to allow visitors to examine the coins in further detail. “Coins are difficult to exhibit for a couple of reasons—in particular, their small size and two-sided format. Several cases in the gallery have movable magnifying glasses so that visitors can really see the details. Some cases are also supported by iPads, which will allow visitors to zoom in, to see both sides of the coin, and to learn a little more about the cultural context of the coins on display.” Grossman says. There are no plans for temporary or special exhibitions, but the gallery will include other works from the periods, including sculpture, ceramics, and metalwork.

Not many would know that about a thousand years ago, Larin, a hairpin-shaped silver currency from Iran, was used as a common currency for international trade between Iran, Turkey, Arabia, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

One comes across many such interesting facts on the history of sultanate’s currency in the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) museum located in the bank's premises.

The 14 year old museum is a treasure trove in the true sense of the word, giving visitors an insight into the nation's trysts with various currencies before the rial came into circulation.

It has over 672 different currencies, including 564 metal coins of different shapes, sizes, colour and weight and 108 banknotes, each telling a story from the pages of history.

If some coins have inscriptions from the Holy Q'uran and the Hijri calendar, some have ports, forts, animals, sports, the ruler's image, Oman's springs, ancient wells, underground channels, souqs, houses, mosques and the education system on them.

All these were produced in mints using fire, hammers, tongs and a couple of men. Using these primeval tools, the men would produce around 400 coins a day, according to the museum's curator.

A visitor can also see Chinese coins and Indian rupees adorning the walls of the museum. The grey, pink and purple coloured notes are the Gulf rupee issued by the Government of India in 1959 for use in Oman and other Gulf countries.

The museum curator informs that a ten Gulf rupee note which looked similar to the one used in India “had higher exchange value during trade.”

The most important and rare exhibit is the silver dirham, struck in Oman in 81AH during the rule of Caliph Abd al Malik bin Marwan of the Umayyad dynasty.

It is the oldest coin minted in the Arabian peninsula and has the name Uman on it, which means it was minted in the sultanate, the curator says. There are only two such coins in the world.

The museum also houses all the commemorative coins issued till date on National Days, including the most expensive one – made of gold, weighing 1,300gm and worth RO22,000. There are only two such coins in existence.

Another commemorative gold coin depicts details of the Albu Said dynasty starting from 1744. Details of 14 generations of this dynasty and the period of its rule are inscribed on the coin that weighs around 598gm. Months of the 1997 calendar year have also been engraved on another such commemorative gold coin.

One also gets to know a lot about Saidi rial, the first united currency that came into circulation in the sultanate in May 1970 and how it came to be widely accepted.

The Saidi rial played an important role in making Oman a modern society after His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said took over as ruler. He ordered that all coins minted after 1971 should carry the name, 'Sultanate of Oman', embodying national unity.

The museum also exhibits gold, silver and bronze coins that have been issued on special occasions during the rule of His Majesty the Sultan.

They highlight various facets of the Omani culture and important national and international events. An information board in each hall of the museum helps visitors know details about different currencies with just the touch of a button.

The CBO is thinking of renovating the museum by the end of 2013 and there are plans to introduce more coins and interactive touch-screen information boards in line with famous museums across the world. Another coin will be added to the museum’s immense collection after the 42nd National Day this year.

The rationale of the establishment of SBP Museum is to introduce first Money Museum of Pakistan. The Main objectives of the Museum are to (i) preserve our cultural heritage that exists in the form of the old SBP Building and the acquisitions we have made over time; (ii) provide an opportunity to the general public and especially the younger generation to learn about SBP's history, money and coins, monetary policy and its evolving role over time; (iii) encourage the development of artistic talent in the country, and (iv) establish a tradition of cultural exchange with other museums around the world.

A collection of Roman coins minted almost 1,700 years ago have been handed to the Three Rivers museum after they were dug from the bottom of the Heronsgate Reservoir.

The ancient coins, as well as a number of clay pots, were uncovered by Affinity Water during the excavation of the reservoir. They were initially stored by the water company before the decision was made to hand them over.

Tim Monod, company secretary and director of legal and regulation at Affinity Water said: "Affinity Water is pleased to hand over the coins to the museum where they can be displayed and viewed by the public."

The coins were commissioned by Emperor Constantine in 330 AD to celebrate the founding of the new city of Constantinople (now Istanbul) on the ancient Greek city of Byzantium.

Robert Simpson who received the coins on behalf of the Three Rivers Museum said: "The collection is a great addition to the museum’s exhibits and demonstrates some ancient local history."

The artefacts are not expected to go on display in the museum until July.

AHMEDABAD: The city-based Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum is all set to get a new gallery - PT Munshaw Coin Gallery - from the next month consisting of more than 300 coins from the time span of 2,500 years. The museum officials held a preview of the collection to mark the World Museums' Day on Saturday. The gallery is slated to be inaugurated officially on June 6.

"Right from the punch-marked coins used in western parts of the country in 600 BC to British India's coins, the collection encompasses a huge geographic area and time period. The collection has coins having origins in cultures such as Roman, Indo-Greek, Kshatrapa, Kushana, Indo-Scythian, Gupta, Gujarat Sultanate and Mughal. Every coin tells a story of that time period, culture and religious beliefs. It also provides an idea of the progress made by a civilization in metallurgy," said LD Museum director Prof Ratan Parimoo.

The museum also held a talk on the subject 'Collection of Coins and its Management' where address was delivered by Prof Ramji Savaliya, director of BJ Institute of Learning. Savaliya elaborated on the history of coinage in Gujarat and stated that the researchers are yet to find the minted coins during Solanki dynasty, considered to be the most illustrious period of the state history. "There have been some coin finds, but its authenticity is yet to be checked," he said.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman received the old coins from general secretary of Bangladesh Numismatic Collectors’ Society and retired deputy conservator of forests MA Kashem at a simple ceremony held at the central bank building in the city.

The historically significant deposited coins included 48 of the Alauddin Hossain Shah era, 29 of Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah, four of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, five of Sikandar Shah, three of Siasuddin Azam Shah, three of Rukunuddin Barbak Shah, two of Nasiruddin Mahmud, one of Mahmud Shah, one of Shahjahan, two of Badsha Alamgir (II), one of Islam Shah and one of the Shah Alam era.

Expressing his appreciation in people of the society who are coming forward to enrich the collections of the Currency Museum of the bank, Dr Atiur Rahman said those institutions and individuals who would handover old coins as presents to the museum would be gladly accepted and the presenters would be properly recognised.

Work on converting the currency museum of Bangladesh Bank as a full-fledged “Taka Jadughar” on a large sphere is now going on by setting it up on the premises of Bangladesh Bank Training Academy.

Efforts are already on to collect old coins and install digital signage, touch screens, LCD monitors etc to equip the “Taka Jadughar” into a modern, prosperous, state of the art, rich in information and technology-based museum.

An important event for enthusiasts and numismatists alike, the exhibition also aims to augment the ranks of devotees to the field, particularly in view of the fact that plans for 2013 include the opening, after an interval of more than seventy years, of the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum.

This museum in Kraków (Cracow, PL) is now open - it has the largest collection of Polish coins, and many other "coin related" objects such as 8,000 books. The man whose collection started all this, Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, never saw the museum; he died in 1896 while the museum named after him opened in 1901.

The museum had to be closed in WW2, and in the post-war years the collection was not shown either. Maybe for political reasons; maybe cost issues influenced the decision too. A month ago the rebuilt Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum, which is a department of the Kraków National Musem (NMK), opened its doors again. Parts of the collection will, at a later stage, also be available online.

Coins started to be used for trade from around 500 BCE, and have been collected ever since. The oldest coin collection in Sri Lanka is that of the Colombo National Museum. There are also smaller collections on display in many of the provincial museums run by the National Museums and the Archaeology Department. Many vihares also have displayed coins that have been gifted to them over many generations, like at Colombo’s Gangarama temple where there are coins, most often displayed in basins with no numismatic classification or information.

Coins are some of the oldest positively dateable items that can be collected. The public is allowed legally to own ancient coins, but any over a hundred years old are considered as antiques and cannot be exported.

Recently I had the opportunity to look at the coins confiscated by the Sri Lanka Customs Department- among them, coins less than 100 years old. Apparently, the whole collection is confiscated if any antiques are detected. There were also many obviously modern replicas. The Customs and even the Archaeology Department do not appear to have the competence to recognize them, or the genuine coins have mysteriously transformed to replicas over some years of storage.

Nearly all of the genuine coins at Customs are common ones – copper massa coins of six Lankan monarchs (1197-1284) and Dutch VOC Duits from 1726-1796. These are found in abundance, they can be purchased in bulk for about Rs. 100 each, and for slightly more when of higher grade. They are not important archaeologically and one wonders why Lanka should not allow them to go abroad, as they may prompt some tourists to come and visit the island of origin.

The Customs Department is now constructing a small museum of confiscated items, at their new headquarters in Colombo Fort. It is a pity that this Customs museum is not being set up at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake that would have been a far better venue to act as a deterrent to illegal export. If within the departure and transit area, it could also serve as an opportunity to educate passengers awaiting their flights of our culture and heritage.

The security of a collection is always a concern. Some of the most important and invaluable coins of the Colombo National Museum collection were stolen in the robbery on March 16, 2012. The rare Ada Kahavanu of which only five specimens are known is an irreplaceable loss.

Unfortunately, most large collections get sold at auction after the collector’s time. Dual custody of an insured loan and display in a public institution with ownership retained by the family may, ensure that a collection will remain together over the longer term.

The Archaeology Department documented a hoard of 1048 Silver punch mark coins which are about 2000 years old in the 1986 Sinhala book Has Ebu Kahapana by M. H. Sirisoma. Only 16 remain and over two kg of silver has gone missing after former Commissioner of Archaeology Sirisoma, passed away in 1992. Twenty years later the secure inventory control is still not in place.

Items in collections are not only lost but can also be damaged by incompetence. Most coins in the Museum collection have been glued to the display, ruining one side of a coin that is otherwise in mint condition. The same has been done at the Central Bank (CBSL) museum for banknotes, some worth many millions.

The CBSL had a nice little museum in Rajagiriya, with banknotes framed on the walls and coins arranged in table top cases. A few years ago, CBSL did a major renovation and more than doubled the floor area, but unfortunately now display less than half of the original collection.

Many local banks have, time and again put coins and currency on display. However, most of these museums have now been closed mainly due to the lack of funds or interest. The museums at the National Savings Bank and the Peoples Bank are examples. There is a small collection in the Hatton Nation Bank headquarters, which opened few years ago which is not well publicized.

The Bank of Ceylon (BoC) opened a museum in 1989 for their 50th Anniversary, which included a collection of coins and currency loaned by Fred Medis. Around 2002 this collection moved from Bristol Street to the 28th floor of the BoC Tower and since then can be seen only by prior arrangement.

A new and larger BoC museum is being planned to be opened in time for their 75th Anniversary in 2014 in active consultation with the Sri Lanka Numismatic Society (SLNS), and coordinated by a museologist. This will hopefully prevent the errors seen at other locations. BoC hopes to keep this museum open to the public, and have a small lecture hall and archival area to promote the study of numismatics. Located on the 28th floor of the BoC Tower, which also has an open balcony with a breathtaking view of the Colombo City and harbour, it will surely become a popular destination for both schoolchildren and tourists.

(The writer maintains an educational website on Lankan coins at http://coins.lakdiva.org , and is President of the SLNS.)

Over the past several years, citizens have read and heard a lot concerning the reform of EU economic governance as well as the strengthened framework for the euro as a common currency. Now, when in Brussels, they can also learn about the currency itself.

On 8 November, the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) inaugurated a permanent euro coin exhibition in the Charlemagne building.

Located in Brussels next to the Commission's headquarters in the Berlaymont building, the exhibition displays all regular and commemorative euro coins issued by euro area Member States since the first issuance of euro coins in 2002, together with all euro coins issued by third countries that have signed Monetary Agreements with the EU (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City).

This exhibition offers an interesting opportunity for visitors to the Commission to take a close look at various national designs of euro coins and the history of the euro.

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: Odisha State Museum is a treasure trove of rare and priceless coins, but security issues and lack of trained guides seem to have taken the sheen off it.

Despite a 12,882-strong collection — that was in circulation between 6th century BC and 6th century AD — the museum displays plaster-of-Paris replicas that, needless to say, fail to attract visitors. The original ones, which include a thousand gold coins, have been stashed away for security reasons, said an official.

Sources, however, said the original coins were gathering dust in iron chests inside a storeroom that was waiting to be converted into a strong room. “The museum authorities had requested the state government to construct a strong room to ensure fool-proof security, but nothing has been done so far,” a museum official told The Telegraph.

Though there are five security guards, only two of them are permanent. This is grossly inadequate for the 1.22 lakh-plus sqft building, which also lacks closed circuit television cameras. Further, due to absence of trained guides, who could have explained the importance and antiquity of the coins to visitors, the treasure has failed to attract due attention. Display boards meant to explain their significance are also too technical for lay visitors.

The repository boasts of 6th century BC silver punch-marked coins, the oldest in the collection, of different shapes and sizes and bearing various symbols such as moon, sun, tree, river, mountain and animal figures. However, they do not have any inscriptions. There are also some coins marking rulers of different dynasties of Odisha apart from the ones issued during the Mughal and British eras.

“Trained persons should be available at the numismatics gallery to explain the significance of the collection. But they have engaged Class-IV employees who know nothing about the coins,” said Sujata Rath, a teacher, who recently visited the museum.

The museum had collected gold coins from different historical sites in the past. They were found from Baripada and Balasore in north Odisha, and areas such as Jagamara, Khandagiri and Sisupalgarh in the state capital. A number of Kushan era coins were found in Puri district in 1895.

While the Sarabhapuriya coins made of gold belonging to rulers such as Mahendraditya, Kramaditya and Prasanna Matra of 6th to 7th century AD were discovered from undivided Kalahandi and Cuttack districts, Kalachuri coins (gold, silver and copper) of Kalachuri rulers (1st to 12th century AD) were found in Balangir, Sonepur and Ganjam districts. Similarly, Chakrakotta gold coins (10th-12th century AD) belonging to the Naga dynasty were found from different parts of the undivided Koraput district.

The famous Gandibedha coins of 6th-7th century AD, recovered from Gandibedha village near Bhadrak, were issued by a local king, Sri Nanda, whose name is inscribed on the coins. The beautiful coins of the Guptas with their fine execution of motifs, bearing a seated goddess Lakshmi are an attraction at the museum.

Indo-Scythian coins of the Saka rulers belonging to 200 BC are made of copper and silver. Besides Greek deities, these coins also introduced Abhisheka Lakshmi on their reverse side. Indo-Greek coins in the same period had given a new dimension to Indian coinage by putting the helmeted bust of their rulers on their faces. Most Indo-Greek coins used both Greek inscriptions and Prakrit language.

All these rare pieces are, however, out of bounds for visitors. Curators of the museum agreed that for such a rich collection, security has been a neglected area.

“I don’t know how they are keeping the coins, but they should have a proper strong room,” said K.K. Basa, anthropology professor at Utkal University and former director of Indian Museum in Calcutta.

Culture director and superintendent-in-charge of the museum Sushil Kumar Das said: “We are going to have a strong room soon as we have many rare artefacts. We will also take steps to ensure that the rare collection of coins attract more visitors”.

Report by Odisha Diary bureau, Bhubaneswar: Internationally acclaimed Coin Master Devi Prasad Mangaraj , who set up a first ever private coin museum in Odisha, will formally inaugurated in a glittering ceremony very soon.Devi is son of Dharashree Bindu and PK Mangaraj, studying at KIIT Deemed University constructed the museum in Satya Nagar area of the Temple City.

18 year-old coin master has more than 60 thousand antique coins from 150 different countries and hopes to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. My proposed museum will immensely provide benefit for School students, tourists as well as research scholars having fascination in numismatics.The museum will educate school children about history and rare coins of 12th and 13th century BC..Devi Prasad has collection of rare coins dated 1857.

Major attractions of his collection include coins of the East India Company Dated between 1800 A.D to 1810 A.D, the pennies belongingto late 18th and early 19th centuries, Peso of the mid-nineteenth century. It also includes pressed coins of both stone and gold and earthen coins. I with imprints of Lords and animals—stated to over 800 years old. My museum would not be used for my personal gain but it would help thousands, who are keen interest in numerology. Apart from scholars and researchers, thousands of students like me would immensely benefit.

Description: The collection of coins and medallions tell us the thousand year history of Hungary starting with the coins of St. István and ending with the recent ones. It represents a very valid picture about the history and development of coinage in Europa.

The Central Bank of UAE on Tuesday inaugurated the Central Bank Museum of Coins and Notes at its head office in Abu Dhabi City.

Khalifa Mohamed Al Kindi, Chairman of the Central Bank Board of Directors, cut the ribbon in presence of members of the board, senior members of the senior management of the Central Bank in addition to chief executive officers of banks operating in UAE.

The museum was inaugurated to mark the occasion of the Central Banks's 40th Anniversary to give researchers, visitors, school and university students and individuals interested in this field, the opportunity to get to know the various stages of currency development in the region before the foundation of the United Arab Emirates, as well as to view the Central Bank's issues of currency notes, coins and commemorative coins.

The museum includes a part of the Central Bank's collections of currency notes, currency coins, commemorative coins, gifts and samples of issues of UAE currency notes and coins and currency of other countries, in addition to cash counting and sorting machines used by the Central Bank in the past.

A special section of the museum has been devoted to currency collectors wishing to display their collections of old coins.

To mark the same occasion, the Central Bank also issued a commemorative coin and said it will soon issue a documentary book in celebration of this occasion.